The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-12
T4LKTNG AND WRITTNG BY ELEC-
TRTCITY.
Chicago journal OF. commerce, Nov. Q.

~NONEN
Thomas A. Edison has got the most Won
derful laboratory on the face of the earth.
He has erected at Llewellyn Park, in Orange,
n. j., three buildings Of brick. Each is one
hundred feet long by fifty wide, and each
has four stories. These buildings are being
supplied with every known mAterial which
could possibly be made use of.
MIR. Edison has been talking to a reporter
and has been telling some marvellous tales
about his perfected ph~onograph.
You know that l finished the first phono-
graph more than ten years ago. 1t remained
more or less Of a toy. The germ of some
5ried the, impossible with it and when the
electric light business assumed commercial
Importance | threw everything overheard for
that. Nevertheless the photograph has
ever since. When resting from prolonged
work upon the light my brain would revert
almost automatically to the old idea Since
the Light has been finished l have taken up
the phonograph and after eight months Of
steady work have made it a commercial in
vention.
my phonograph I expect to see in every
business Office. The first 500 viii, I hope,
January, Their operation il simplicity
itself, and cannot fail. The merchant or
clerk who wishes to send q letter has
only to, set the machine in motion and to
talk in his natural voice and at the usual
rate of speed into the receiver. When he
has finished the sheet, or 'phonogram, as I
call it, 1T is ready for putting into 8 little
box made on purpose for the mails. We are
letters of from 500 to 1000 words, another
size for 2000 words, another size for 1900
words. L expect that an arrangement may
be made with the postoffice authorities, en-
ablins the phonogram boxes to be sent at
the same rate as q letter..
''The receiver OF & phonograrn will put it
into his apparatus and the message will be
given out more. clearly, more distinctly than
tho haSf fDlanhnpa y1ncuO0 on otrar ya,t Tho
tones of the voice in he two monographs
which 1 have finished are SO perfectly rem
dered that one can distinguish between
taenty different persons, each one of whom
vantage is that the letter may be repeated a
thousand times il necessar.. The phono-
gram. does not wear out by use: more
over it may be flied away for 100 years, and
be ready the instant it is needed. If q man
dictates his will to the monograph there will
no disputing the authenticity CT the docu-
emit with those who knew the tones of his
yRce-lf- life. The cost Of making the
q of ordinary, letter paper. The machine
WI. read out the letter or message at the
sal g rate of speed with which it was dictated.
have Experimental with Q DEVICE for
thaasctation of the photograph aud think
thar will work to y charm. It is so ar
raIshssssIat the printer by touching q leTer
witt .aSxoot allows five or ten wort;s of the
DHNFNYJe vi " pG fOt1ttGst. Ii lie Is not SlGlS-
fed he first hearing he can make it re-
peal eoisaIne words over and over again
unussha5Aaa s them III type. For busy men,
wh19lt ty a great deal for the press / am
sft ag cSlitttIe e1psrienc sa.' % " necessity
-gsfor nf{ Aclsns the p~honogriph is going
to do wondS@s. owing to tho extreme cheap
ness with which | can duplicate p~honograms
gives out all musical sounds. In the early
phonograph Of. ten years ago, which was q
very imperfect and crude affair compared to
that o. to-day, il was always noticed that
musical austaa sounds Funds eaSag Ont peculiarly well; the
than it woui talk. This popularity of
the photograph remains. ] have taken down
the music OF an orchestra. and the result is
marvellous; each instrument can be perfectly
distinguished. the strings are perfectly dis
tlnct, the yiolins from the celios, the wind
instrument and the wood re perfectly heard
and even in the notes of the violin the over
to work wonders for the benefit of music
lovers. A piece for. any instrument. for the
piano or for an orchestra, or an act, or the
Whole OF an opera. musical instruments and
with q beauty, Of tone and distinctness past
beiief, and the duplicating apparatus for
phonograms. liz go cheap an affair that the
price Ct musle for the Photograph will be
gram win be practically indestructible By or
and over again.
My first ~phonograph. as you remember,
consisted simply of a roller carrying the foil
and provided with a diaphragm-point prop
eriJ arranged to scrape or indent the foil.
roller was turned by hand. In the new
instrument there is far more complication,
but altogether different results. Ny propel-
ling machinery consists of q small electric
motor, run by a very few cells. Strange to
say, ! have found more difficulty in getting
. motor to suit me than any other part
Of the apparatus. I tried various kinds
clock work and spring motors, but found
Them Enthusiastically and noisy. The motors
am now making are absolutely steady and
There is no part of the apparatus,
the tools for which I am now making upon a
large scale here, which il likely to get out of
order or to work in an uncertain manner.
The two finished Photographs are practically |
what | intend to offer for sale Within
o few months.n
Among the things at which Mr.. Edison is |
harltfa at work, taking them up in turns, are q
cotton picker, q heat generator of electricity, |
electricity.